15 Writing Challenges

Write Every Day for a Month: Set a daily word goal (e.g. 300–500 words) and write something: journal entry, story snippet, poem, anything.

Write a Story Using Only Dialogue: Create a short story with no narration and only conversations between characters.

One Sentence Story: Try to tell a complete story using just one grammatically correct sentence.

Alphabet Writing Challenge: Write a 26-line story or poem where each line starts with a different letter of the alphabet, A to Z.

Write a Story Backwards: Start with the ending and write the story in reverse order.

The Sensory Challenge: Write a paragraph or scene using all five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.

Genre Swap: Choose a genre you never write in and create a short piece. (e.g. If you write romance, try sci-fi.)

Rewrite a Fairy Tale: Put a modern or dark twist on a well-known fairy tale.

Character Interview: Write an interview with a fictional character. (Ask about regrets, secrets, goals, etc…)

No ‘E’ Challenge: Write a paragraph or short story without using the letter “E.”

Write From a Different POV: Take a story and retell it from a different character’s point of view (even the antagonist’s).

100-Word Story: Write a complete story with exactly 100 words.

Dream Scene: Write a surreal, dream-like scene where nothing follows normal logic.

One Image, One Story: Pick an image (from Pinterest, Unsplash, etc.) and write a story inspired by it.

The “What If” Prompt: Choose a wild “what if” scenario (e.g. “What if people aged backward?”) and write a short story exploring that world.